Chapter 1156: Chapter 726: Piercing the Day

Inside the Golden Throne Hall, silence reigned.

On usual days, after Xu Yuan finished speaking, someone would typically leap forward to angrily rebuke him for his audacity. Speaking out before the official rituals had been recited was an act of violating courtly decorum, an insult to supreme authority. Yet today, the officials dressed in their colorful official robes all maintained the same expression.

Lowered eyes, hands tucked into sleeves, standing quietly without a word.

But this silence did not stem from fear.

Imperial power rooted deeply in their hearts, an indomitable force.

The court was not lacking in loyalists unafraid to sacrifice their lives, nor in upright voices willing to risk life and limb for progress. But courage does not mean a lack of intelligence; those brave souls all understood that if they were to lay their lives on the line, it had to be at the right time to ensure their sacrifice had value.

The commotion caused by the Prime Minister’s third son at the Meridian Gate had been significant; ministers with even a slight cultivation base would have sensed it. As for those whose cultivation was too weak to notice, they had already been informed through transmitted messages. Now, with his overt breach of decorum, they had to ascertain just what Xu Yuan intended to do today.

“Tap…”

“Tap…”

The sound of footsteps echoed.

According to Dayan Dynasty protocol, petitions presented at court should be submitted through the Ritual Supervision Office, yet no one moved now. And so, Xu Yuan had no choice but to personally deliver it to the Crown Prince.

The first rays of dawn disappeared amidst swirling dark clouds, leaving behind pools of rainwater that mirrored the palace’s splendor. Dim light filtered through the hall’s grand doors, casting a foreboding glow across the vast Fengtian Hall, its oppressiveness resembling a giant underwater prison.

Those who could enter such deep palaces were figures with immense influence, people who could determine the lives and deaths of thousands outside. Among them were those who relied on family connections, sycophants who thrived through flattery, or opportunists who seized miraculous chances. Yet anyone who remained standing amidst the tumult of courtly politics at this juncture had unerring political acumen. Each was silently speculating about the Prime Minister’s third son’s purpose today.

Venturing to the Northern Frontier, feigning death after an ambush on his return, secretly orchestrating the Western Desert Incident, and finally traveling to the capital in the Prime Minister’s palace carriage—he had openly revealed his identity to the outside world. Still, most regarded him as either a second Xu Chang’an or a compromising Xu Changge, someone with potential for the future. However, as long as Xu Yinhè remained alive, he would, at best, inherit the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

He held power, but it had to operate under the Prime Minister’s watchful eye.

This was the universally acknowledged reality.

Whether within the sectarian world or the imperial sphere, familial betrayal was the hardest to guard against. Patricide, fratricide, and internecine strife—there had been too many precedents across the annals of history where disciples turned on masters, children waged war against parents.

Power is merciless.

The current emperor embodies this truth, and so does the Prime Minister.

Thus, Xu Yuan’s options were exceedingly limited. Rumors circulated that the Marquis of Zhenxi’s Mansion should have fallen apart a month ago but was forcefully prolonged under the Prime Minister’s support. Over these days, the situation there had been quietly fermenting. Various factions clashed and tangled together, even leading to localized warfare. Xu Yuan’s blatant breaches of decorum today appeared to warn others and definitively align the Prime Minister’s stance on the matter.

Yet this likely represented the Prime Minister’s final act of rigidity before retreating.

The Western Desert Incident had exposed the thousand fissures in the Marquis of Zhenxi’s Mansion, reducing a monumental institution guarding the border for decades to prey for the circling vultures. Having bet first and won, the Prime Minister’s Mansion had spent the past month gorging on its rewards in Xize State, claiming over half of Zhenxi’s vast legacy.

But this was a feast for the entire realm!

If the Prime Minister sought to persist in monopolizing the spoils and resisted sharing, localized conflicts could spiral into widespread warfare across the empire!

Thus,

The Prime Minister’s Mansion was bound to withdraw.

Among the ranks of officials, twenty paces away from the Crown Prince’s small desk below the golden dais, Xu Yuan walked neither briskly nor languidly, weaving through the crowd. The crimson envelope he carried gradually revealed its four-character seal to the observing ministers.

Time froze,

Breaths ceased,

How could Xu Yinhè dare?

How could Xu Changtian dare?!

Gulp.

The faint sound of throats swallowing echoed intermittently.

Soft intakes of breath spread through the hall as shock rippled across the assembled officials. Only now did they realize, with unmistakable clarity, that their assumptions were grossly mistaken—the power granted to this son by the Prime Minister far exceeded their expectations.

High-ranking officials betrayed no emotion, but those of lesser status found their mouths dry as they darted glances at one another, whether of the Chancellor or imperial factions.

To present such a petition at this critical juncture implied that there was certainty it would be forcibly enacted. As they stood within this Golden Throne Hall, some unknown events outside must surely be unfolding.

Was it the Imperial Guards?

Or the City Defense Office?

Or perhaps certain individuals within the palace itself?

Amidst the unending shock, Xu Yuan finally came to a halt before the Crown Prince.

Without any extraneous movements, nor any words of petition, he solemnly placed the crimson envelope onto the low desk. At that moment, every gaze converged upon the spot.

In the breath-audible stillness,

“It seems that Xu Qing has grave matters to address. There is no need to probe further into breaches of decorum.”

After a brief meeting of eyes, Li Yucheng murmured softly, lowered his gaze, and picked up the envelope. The crisp rustle of paper folding reverberated clearly.

In mere moments, Li Yucheng had finished reading the petition and placed it open upon the desk, remaining silent in contemplation.

The hall’s faint murmurs subsided back into deathly stillness, yet restlessness began swelling in each heart. No one knew where the realm would head after this letter, but today would surely be the most crucial day in their past—and in their future.

If the Crown Prince were to issue a rebuttal, sides would need to be chosen. This was an existential gamble, one without neutrality. However, what unfolded next left them all stunned.